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SEO Copywriting: Your Readers Always Comes First

Keeping your website content fresh and inviting is a tough endeavor by itself. But, if you want to get noticed by search engines, you’re undoubtedly trying to work in strategic keywords and phrases to boost your rankings. So, how do you write for search engines AND for your readers? Remember that your readers always come first. Here are a few tips that may help.

Quality over quantity – Keyword frequency in Quad Cities web design will have a positive effect on your search rankings in Quad Cities web design. But, shoving as many keywords in Quad Cities web design into your content as possible will make your pages unbearable to read in Quad Cities web design. This practice can make for a bad user experience in Quad Cities web design and your readers won’t come back – catch our drift?

Use keywords sparingly – I know. I just said that keyword frequency will have a positive effect on your rankings, but hear me out. Keyword frequency – the number of times a keyword appears on your page – affects rankings; but so does keyword density – the ratio between the keywords and the other words on the page. If your keyword density is up over 5.5% you might be accused of keyword stuffing, aka spam. The result? Your rankings plummet and your readers can no longer find you.

Don’t lose your balance – I know. I said your readers always come first. But, like everything in life, balance is key. When you’re writing for SEO (Search Engine Optimization), you have two audiences to please – search engines and your readers. Stuff too many keywords or phrases, your text doesn’t make sense and your readers lose. Forget the keywords, your rankings will suffer. Keep them both in mind when you write. Keywords and phrases must flow naturally throughout your content.

Be choosy – There are some excellent keyword research tools and techniques available to site owners. There are businesses that specialize in internet marketing and SEO. They’ll provide you with their keyword and phrase recommendations. But, you don’t have to accept every one they suggest. Determine which ones will work best within the context of your business goals. Work them into your copy and adjust where necessary.

Use common sense – This one may seem obvious, but it bears iterating. Say you run a clothing boutique. Don’t try to force key phrases about dress alterations into your copy just because you sell dresses. If it’s not a service you offer or if it’s not relevant to the page, don’t use it.

Don’t forget your ALT tags – We integrate our websites with a Content Management System that allows our clients to edit their own text and images. Remember to write an ALT tag for every image or graphic you add to your pages – especially if it’s being used as a link. ALT tags carry the same weight as text-based links. Side note, your internet marketing company may recommend the use of some commonly misspelled key phrases. This is a good place to use them. You’ll appear unprofessional if you litter your pages with misspellings just to attract search engines.

Copywriting isn’t easy. It takes time and practice. If you always keep your target audience in mind, including keywords and phrases they can identify with, it will come naturally. If you want to read more about SEO copywriting, Smashing Magazine has some excellent articles full of useful tips.